Her Story
About Phylicia
Phylicia Dias is an emerging music industry and legal professional pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry and Communications at Northeastern University, where she is completing an honors undergraduate program on the Pre-Law Track with minors in Law & Argumentation and Oratory & Public Speaking. She currently serves as a Legal Assistant Co-op at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), where she gains hands-on experience supporting legal work within a nonprofit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights defense and advocacy. Her career goal is to become an entertainment lawyer who helps artists and music companies navigate contracts, intellectual property, name, image and likeness, and rights of publicity. Alongside her legal experience, Phylicia has developed a strong foundation in music business and artist advocacy. She previously completed a legal internship with SoundExchange in its Legal Licensing Enforcement Department and currently serves as Legal & Business Affairs Coordinator for the independent record label Ethereal Visions. She is also a songwriter and musician who has played piano since childhood and bass guitar since her teenage years, and she is involved with two bands. Her professional interests sit at the intersection of creativity, law, business, and artist development, allowing her to understand the music industry from both the creative and legal perspectives. Phylicia is also committed to creating opportunities for emerging artists and strengthening her community. She co-founded 5Thou, a Boston-based producer cooperative focused on supporting youth artists through artist development, music-business education, and community resources. She is a member of Grammy U’s New York Chapter and has held multiple leadership roles within the Northeastern Black Student Association, while also serving as a Husky Ambassador. Her accomplishments include Dean’s List recognition, the Honors Impact Badge, and second place in the Roland E. Latham Oratory Competition. Guided by family, faith, fortitude, curiosity, respect, empathy, and sustainability, Phylicia is building toward a career dedicated to helping creatives turn their talent into sustainable professional opportunities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Phylicia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to family, faith, and fortitude. These three foundations have given me the support, perspective, and resilience to continue pursuing my goals while navigating both my education and the early stages of my professional career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to always be curious and never be afraid to ask questions. I believe that curiosity creates opportunities to learn, while asking questions allows me to better understand the people, organizations, and industries I am working within.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women entering the industry to be comfortable with failure and making mistakes early in their careers. Mistakes are not failures; they are opportunities to learn and grow. I also believe it is important to establish boundaries around your capacity while remaining open to new experiences. When you are still discovering yourself and your career direction, try as many things as possible and give yourself permission to explore.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in the music industry right now is the oversaturation of music and artists. With so much creative content being released, it can be difficult for artists to distinguish themselves and navigate the amount of noise in the industry. This makes it increasingly important to understand both the creative and business sides of music and to develop sustainable approaches to building an artistic career.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me in both my professional and personal life are curiosity, respect, empathy, and sustainability. These values guide how I approach learning, relationships, collaboration, and the work I do to support creatives and my community.
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